Overview & Reviews

The Pontiac brand is part of the General Motors family, and is home to many of the automaker's more performance-oriented vehicles. Currently, the marque offers a broad range of sporty cars and SUVs. However, as part of GM's restructuring plan, the brand is slated to be discontinued by the end of the 2010 model year.

Pontiac originated as the Oakland Car Company of Pontiac, Michigan, in 1907; it was founded by Edward Murphy. Acquired by General Motors in 1909, Oakland introduced the first Pontiac vehicle in 1926. Dubbed the "Chief of the Sixes," the car was powered by a six-cylinder engine and made its debut at that year's New York auto show. It was so successful that the Oakland name was phased out in favor of Pontiac, the name of an 18th-century chief of the Ottawa Indians. Throughout the 1930s and '40s Pontiac made coupes, sedans and wagons in the low-to-mid price ranges. A unique styling cue of Pontiac cars from the mid-'30s to the mid-'50s was known as "Silver Streak," a set of art-deco-inspired chrome "speed lines" that ran up over the length of the hood to the base of the windshield.

The 1950s saw the introduction of the Pontiac Bonneville. The sprawling, stylish cruiser offered equal measures of performance and luxury, and was a breakout hit. But it wasn't until the 1960s that the Pontiac brand truly came into its own. American manufacturers had begun to offer downsized alternatives to the gigantic cruisers that had ruled the highways in previous decades. Pontiac came to market with the compact Tempest. In 1964, Pontiac made its biggest impact yet with the creation of the GTO option for the Tempest. By equipping the car with the powerful 389 cubic-inch V8 from the full-size car line, Pontiac created the first "muscle car." Phenomenally successful, the GTO helped define the burgeoning muscle car category. Pontiac also saw tremendous success during the latter part of this decade with its Firebird and Firebird Trans Am.

The oil crisis of the '70s made fuel efficiency a priority for many car buyers. Following the lead of its GM siblings, Pontiac made compact vehicles like the Ventura and Phoenix a major part of its lineup. The '80s saw the launch of the two-seat Pontiac Fiero. Despite its modest beginnings (it was initially marketed as a "commuter car"), the Fiero eventually blossomed into a credible sports car.

The '90s saw the launch of Pontiacs like the Sunfire and Montana minivan. Pontiac has slowly lost sales due to changing tastes and a lack of differentiation between its models and those of other GM divisions. In hopes of recapturing past glory, the division embarked on a plan to retire aged models and introduce all-new ones with distinctive styling and personality. For a while, the effort seemed to be bearing fruit. New models like the Vibe, Solstice and G8 made Pontiac a brand to consider in many segments. However, GM's financial troubles in 2008 and 2009 have resulted in the company's decision to phase out Pontiac as a brand. It's expected 2010 will be Pontiac's last year for new models.

User Reviews:

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  Fun and comfortable - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Milyn2 - June 27 - 12:50 am

  I love this vehicle. It is very responsive and has plenty of power. The Panoramic sunroof is an incredible feature that adds to the enjoyment. It is well designed and very consumer friendly.

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  Great Graduation Present - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By babygirl - June 26 - 8:23 pm

  My parents got this car for me as a graduation present and Im loving it. I went to the dealership to test drive the G6 when the G8 caught my eye. I walked right passed the G6 and asked for the keys to the G8. By the look of the car I knew I wanted it. My parents were sold on the fact that it had Onstar. Great car for anyone who likes to go fast. Before I never liked to drive places, now I volunteer to go anywhere. Great kick and speed for a 6cyl.

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  3 engines! 2.4 L - 1999 Pontiac Sunfire
  By terror 6 - June 26 - 8:46 am

  My sunfire, while fun to drive, has had nothing but problems. It had a wiring issue that 12 "technicians" at RON TONKIN LIARS AUTO sales could not find. Pontiac said there wasnt any known issues or recalls. I bought this car with 60,000 miles. It had already had a motor replaced with another used one that the LIARS at R.T.K. didnt tell me about. Since I bought it I have had to replace the 2.4 engine at 80,000 and now I have a rod knocking at 100,000. The vehicle gets routine oil changes, has never been over-revved and has never overheated. But yet I am looking at yet another engine swap. I baby this 4 cylinder and it still went pear shaped. Where is the Pontiac of old?

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  99 Pontiac Grand am is a good car! - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By nathan santorello - June 26 - 5:40 am

  overall this car is really reliable and nice to drive. Some pros about this car is that its small but big enough to pick up some friends with it and stuff like that. I go back and forth to college and it really works great. i have had no big probelms with it. it goes really good through the winter with studded snow tires. also had really great interior. some cons about this car is that the light bulbs on it for some reason go out like every two weeks and i have to keep on replacing them. and the tires lose air a lot and my low traction light keeps coming on, but it does not cause a real big problem. otherwise, its a great car!

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  Torn between giving a good or bad review - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Chris.I - June 26 - 1:40 am

  I Bought my Grand Am in 2004, with 38k miles on it. I recently traded it in last week with 103k miles, and the dealership gave me $900 trade in value on it. I never really had any MAJOR issues, but had tons of minor issues, like 2 electrical issues, Drivers side power window broke, Both rearview mirrors broke, Oil change light constantly on (even right after an oil change), Trac system light comes on whenever I turn a sharp corner, Dials fell off, radio volume faded in & Out. last problem I had was everytime I stopped at a red light, the car would putt, like it wanted to stall, So I got a tuneup, hoping it would fix the problem, which it didnt. Overall I loved the car, but It had to go

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  I love it!! - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Saul Cohen - June 25 - 10:03 am

  I bought the Solstice because of its looks -- not because it is a high performance car. I needed a reward for myself -- and its surpassed my expectations. It is a lot of fun to drive -- very enjoyable. And it evokes great comments. When Im stopped at a light or getting in and out when parking, many people stop to ask me about the car or to just admire it and tell me that they like it; Ive even had several who asked if they could take pictures of the car. One guy, as a stop light light, couldnt stop raving about what it looked like, and said: "If Id seen this before I ordered my RX-7, Id never have gotten that." I do enjoy it!!

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  Yes, I do own the road! - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By rfesmt - June 25 - 1:23 am

  Driving the Grand Prix is nothing but pure excitement that gives confidence to any driver and a little attitude. With the quick acceleration and easy handling you can glide over any road imaginable and avoid those potholes on your daily route to work. I am a very satisfied customer and if you see me coming just get out of my way. That Pontiac is a mean machine!

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  It just keeps getting better - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By Rod - June 24 - 6:03 pm

  Well it is month 6 for me as a G8 owner. 6100 miles of enjotment in driving again. No matter how bad my day at work has been there is this little back road on the way home that I can detour on to and just let the G8 hang out in the corners and all the stress of the day is gone. My 96 Monte Carlo never gave that to me. It just wouldnt handle the 30 mph corners at 60 like the G8. The G8 has to be the best handling american car under $30K not just the most powerful. Oh by the way yesterday I showed a Taurus SHO owner you dont go heads up from a stop light with a G8. If God drives he/she would drive a G8.

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  Front suspension noise - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By bob i - June 24 - 5:43 pm

  Have had the car 2 years. It has 27,000 mostly highway miles. When the weather gets cold, the suspension sounds like its coming apart. Had the car to the dealership 6 times for front suspension. Have changed intermediate shaft 2x, steering column 2x, struts once, and strut bearing caps once. Cant say they are not trying to fix it, but I am beginining to belive that Pontiac has a design defect in its front suspension. Have heard too many other horror stories about the same problem. I can now understand why GM is in trouble!

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  Pontiac is Great! - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Lara the Superhero - June 24 - 1:56 am

  It is a magical, beautiful car that I like very much. It is very very pretty and it flies like the wind. It handles very well on all types of roads.